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Bass legend Stanley Clarke, whose 40 albums and 60 film scores have made him one of the most recognized names in the annals of contemporary music has announced the fall, 2011 release schedule for his label Roxboro Entertainment Group. He shares, “When you are starting a record company, diversity plays a major role. All of Roxboro’s artists come from different locations in the world offering remarkable cultural differences. I could not be more satisfied in introducing the label via the works of Kennard, Lloyd, Ruslan and Sunnie.” Multiple releases for 2012 are in the works, with Clarke acting as executive producer on these forthcoming titles.

The first release from Roxboro is Kennard Ramsey’s Somos. Ramsey, a Los Angeles based composer/musician, has worked with a diverse array of talent in the film and record industry. His compositions are distinguished by an innovative use of live orchestra, synthesizer and other digital audio media, integrating contemporary music genres with traditional. Somos is largely influenced by the arrangements and orchestrations that personified the innovation of Verve, CTI and Blue Note era recording artists, and is a musical and visual exploration of various music genres. The album distinctly offers an audible portrait of Ramsey’s uniquely personal vision, sharing a glimpse in to what has made him a sought after composer for feature films, documentaries, television movies and episodic television. Ramsey has also arranged music and performed with stars like the inimitable King of Love Barry White, as well as jazz pioneer Ronnie Laws, and is a recipient of consecutive Aspen Music Fellowship Awards and was a finalist in the Frank Sinatra awards.Read more…

Cornel West from Princeton University had some choice words for Presidential candidate Herman Cain. After Cain said that racism no longer matters in this country, West appeared with Candy Crowley to say that Cain was dead wrong. In Cain’s words:

“I have seen blacks in middle management move up to top management in some of the biggest corporations in America,” the candidate explained. “They weren’t held back because of racism. No, people sometimes hold themselves back because they want to use racism as excuse for them not being able to achieve what they want to achieve.”

That’s when West chimed in on a later episode to suggest that Herman Cain is full of it.

“Well, black people have been working hard for decades,” West remarked. “I think he needs to get off the symbolic crack pipe and acknowledge that the evidence is overwhelming. And I think he also knows that if brother Anthony Davis — a brother who was just put to death — were a white Wall Street banker brother, that the response in the nation would have been very different as opposed to a poor black brother.” Read more…

By CAROLYN EDGAR

My son’s 5th grade Humanities class was given an assignment to write a letter to the Founding Fathers, explaining how the Constitution works today, and thanking the Framers for their foresight in developing the foundation for the democracy and freedom we enjoy.

My son disagreed with the assignment.

He said, “I don’t want to thank the Framers for the Constitution they drafted. They didn’t get rid of slavery, and that didn’t happen until Abraham Lincoln and the 13th Amendment.”

My son asked for—and quickly received—my permission to tackle the assignment differently. Rather than thanking the Framers for the Constitution they drafted, he chose instead to criticize the Founding Fathers for preserving slavery. He pointed out the contradictions between the promise of Bill of Rights and the reality that, in 1787, those rights only applied to white men. His critique of the Founding Fathers focused on slavery, but he also pointed out that women didn’t get to enjoy the full rights of citizenship until the 19th Amendment was passed in the 1920s.

I was proud of my son’s choice. He thought critically about the assignment and how he wanted to address it, rather than simply giving the expected response. Fortunately, his teacher received his take on the project favorably, and gave him a grade worthy of his effort. Read more…

Spearheaded by Kangol Kid, lead member of one of Hip-Hop’s first nationally recognized rap groups UTFO, the event was created as an initiative under the “Mama Luke Movement”. Kangol Kid formed the organization with Film Executive Shaunda Lumpkin after Shaunda’s mother Gay Frances Lucas (affectionately known as “Mama Luke”) lost her three-year battle with breast cancer on May 31, 2010.

In her last year, Mama Luke appeared on the Wendy Williams Show for a Breast Cancer Awareness Special and was later invited on the Tom Joyner “Fantastic Voyage” Cruise as a VIP guest.

Widely embraced as “Hip-Hop’s Mom”, her passing inspired Hip-Hop Artists Dana Dane, Joe Ski Love, L.A. Sunshine of the Treacherous 3, NYOIL, R&B Group Force MDs and Actor Stu “Large” Riley (hit movie “KICKASS”) to rally in support of Shaunda, Kangol Kid and Breast Cancer survivor Roxanne Shantè at the American Cancer Society’s (ACS) Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk. Upon completion of the race, they where they were greeted by Newark, New Jersey Mayor Cory Booker and later recognized as a Top 10 fundraising team of Newark, NJ. Read more…

NEW FILM “AS I DIE SLOWLY” ADDRESSES THE DANGER AND REALITY OF HIV AND AIDS

— Urban Life Entertainment, producer of the film, announces its 2011 College Tour —

Nationwide(BlackNews.com) — Urban Life Entertainment, a film production and book publishing company based in Houston, Texas has launched an impressive college tour with their hit movie, As I Die Slowly. It is a movie about choices and consequences. From beginning to end, the movie is designed to teach about the danger & reality of HIV & AIDS. The title itself delivers a stark message and warning because it creates the acronym of AIDS.

The movie’s tagline is: What Happens When a Man Who Has It All, Becomes Entangled in a Web of Lies, Deceit, and Infidelity? Characters Michael Davenport and Joy Davenport are having trouble in their marriage of 16 years. And like many families, it is during these turbulent times that wrong decisions are made.

As I Die Slowlydeals with the subject of HIV and AIDS in an entertaining way, however the message is delivered in a clear and precise manner that is undeniable. Vikki Johnson of BET Networks called it compelling and powerful, and said that it is so thought provoking that she thought about the film days after watching it.

Urban Life Entertainment has secured dates at some of the nation’s most prestigious colleges and universities to screen As I Die Slowly and deliver motivational speeches to the student body. October 14th at Texas Southern University, October 17th Prairie View A&M, November 16th Spelman College, December 1st (World AIDS Day Events) at Wiley College of Marshall, Texas and Morgan State University of Baltimore, Maryland. There are more colleges and universities coming on board daily. To book the film and cast to come to your campus, contact the offices of Urban Life Entertainment. Read more…

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NEW BOOK FROM NAACP IMAGE AWARD WINNER, “SCHOOL, WHY AM I HERE?” EXPLAINS PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF SCHOOL TO TEENS

— Informs students on how the subjects they study in school will benefit them in the real-world. —

Nationwide(BlackNews.com) — C.B. Schooler, a 2008 National NAACP Image Award-winning author, has recently released a new book explaining the practical application of school to teens entitled, School, Why Am I Here? Unraveling the Mysteries of an Education and Strengthening America’s Future.

C.B. Schooler, effectively explains to young readers why they must voluntarily choose to take their education seriously by illustrating the practical marketplace application of studying: History, Language Arts, Art, Math, Science, and playing sports. Students who read this book will:

* Understand they must be a willing participant in their education

* Realize that the ultimate goal of school is to transform them into a producer, not just land a job

The Pocono Mountains Film Festival (PMFF) a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization is gearing up to bring star power to the beautiful Pocono Mountains with the 9th Annual PMFF Screenings, Workshops and Celebrity Awards Dinner to benefit The Utopia House for battered women. Only registered ticket holders will be permitted to specific events during the festival weekend.

POCONO MOUNTAINS FILM FESTIVAL AWARDS DINNER

The PMFF celebrity awards dinner pays homage to the life and career of some of the most notable Film Stars and Entertainment Executives. During the festival, we will show a montage of the honorees work and accomplishments. Past honorees have included the late Jack Palance, Fred “the Hammer” Williamson, Billy Dee Williams, Michael Jackson, Cliff Robertson, Robert Vaughn and Roberta Flack. The PMFF Screenings, Workshops and Celebrity Awards will take place on Oct 21st & 22nd.